HUNTINGTON -- The Huntington Area Development Corp. didn't have to look far to find its new leader.

Marc Sprouse has been part of the organization since it split from the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce in 1993. Most recently, he served as HADCO's treasurer.

And when long-time president Gerald McDonald announced he was leaving, Sprouse headed up the board of directors' search committee. Little did he know, he would end up applying for the job himself.

"It just sort of happened," he said. "I chaired the search committee. We hired a search firm from Mississippi, but we were not seeing the quality of candidates we wanted."

Sprouse has strong ties to Huntington and has been in the banking industry there since the early 1970s, he said.

"I was born in Huntington, but I didn't grow up here," he said. "I grew up in Louisiana and Texas. I came back here and graduated from Marshall (University) in 1966 and I've been here ever since. I started in banking in 1972. "I've been in it 37 years. I thought I might make it to 40."

But that was not to be, Sprouse said. Guaranty Bank, of which he is president and CEO, and First Sentry Bank are in the process of merging.

"It's a merger of two commercial banks in town," he said. "It's a really good move. They have very similar business philosophies."

The merger is expected to be complete by September, at which time Sprouse will move full-time into the HADCO job, he said. Although moving from banking to economic development is a career change, there are a lot of similarities between the two professions, he said.

"I think I've been in economic development all my life," Sprouse said. "I've primarily been a commercial banker. I've been involved in some of the biggest projects in Huntington. ... There are lots of similarities. It's all about establishing relationships."

And HADCO always has done a good job of establishing and maintaining good relationships with those in the community, Sprouse said.

Sprouse took over HADCO at a busy time, he said. The organization already has several economic development projects under way, and more are planned.

Not long ago, HADCO completed a shell building in its business park along state Route 2. Alcon Research Ltd. is constructing a $25 million building in the park.

HADCO also has a shell building at Tri-State Airport and a new business incubator in the Forensic Science Center at Marshall University, Sprouse said.

The area also still can benefit from one project that was started 10 years ago, he said. Kinetic Park has a lot of potential, and HADCO can help market it.

"It's in a great location with the Interstate and the airport nearby," Sprouse said. "I think we can help get the project going again."

But an economic development organization should be about more than attracting new businesses to the area, Sprouse said. Another focus should be helping businesses that are already here expand.